Miller’s Definition of Modern Tragedy
Monica’s Topic:
Tragic Flaw
Tash’s Topic:
Common man can be considered a tragic hero and they don’t have to be noble/royal
Thomas’ Topic:
To begin, I will explain the major differences between Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero and
Miller’s definition of a Tragedy/Tragic Hero
Aristotle’s Tragic Hero:
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Usually of noble birth
The tragic flaw that eventually leads to his downfall.
A reversal of fortune brought about by the hero’s tragic flaw
His actions result in an increase of self- awareness and self-knowledge
The audience must feel pity and fear for this character.
They attempt to achieve their rightful position in the hierarchy of society
The downfall
Miller’s Tragedy/Tragic Hero:
1. Tragedy applies to everyone and not just nobility
2. Tragic hero goes against ways of society
3. Tragic hero does not accept his fate
Argument:
Given Aristotle’s definition of the tragic hero, we can see that some of the requirements for a
tragic hero are less common today, making it more difficult to create a tragic hero.
Miller says that tragedy is meant to be a positive demonstration of human qualities that are
present in society and not pessimistic as it is thought of often.
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Tragedies intend to show the tragic hero achieving, or attempting to achieve his
humanity. This is appropriate towards modern society because we often see others
going through long and vigorous processes to ultimately become the best person they
can be
Miller states that the possibility of victory has to be present in a tragedy.
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When the audience is over-sympathetic towards the protagonist (as Miller calls pathos),
it means there is no possibility of victory, making it not a tragedy. Despite the lack of
odds, there must be hope and possibility of perfectibility of a man. This is appropriate
towards modern society because there is always a chance of winning or achieving the
goal; the failure to achieve it is what makes it tragic. If there were no hope to begin
with, the audience would not find it tragic when the protagonist actually fails.
Miller states that the sense of ‘tragedy’ is lost when a character accepts his fate and “lays down
his life”. This is because a tragic “hero” is thought of as a character that will fight until death to
maintain personal dignity.
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This is appropriate towards modern society because in the stories we have read/seen,
for the most part the character will do whatever they can to achieve their goal, survive
or whatever the case is. I’m sure anyone can think of their own examples whether they
are video game campaign stories, movies, books, or plays.
Miller states in his essay, “Above all else, tragedy requires the finest appreciation by the writer
of cause and effect.” and explains how the author must be completely willing to question
everything. He continues on how the ability of a man to sit back and truly see himself for whom
he is, is one of the main necessities.
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A perfect example of this is the movie, Shutter Island. The writer questions the ways of
the institution and society throughout the movie, and at the end, Leo Dicaprio sees
himself for who he is.
This definition is fitting for modern age because there are institutions, habits, and
customs that should be questioned. It’s also a very liable realization for a man to have
before his death, downfall, or failure.
Conclusion:
Restating the points, tragedies intend for the audience to be optimistic towards the
display of human qualities, which is an appropriate evaluation of how it should be in modern
age because it allows the writer to show the realization of the quality, and how the character
decides to fix it. This is a good way of writers showing morality. Secondly, the hope and
possibility of victory has to be present in tragedies, because without it, it is not necessarily
tragic when the character fails. Thirdly, the sense of tragedy is lost when the character admits
to failure and gives up because a modern age hero is thought of to never give up and to fight
until death. The author must also be able to question absolutely anything because many things
that seem inevitable to us should be questioned. Lastly, the action of a man realizing himself is
a necessity because it allows the audience to pick out the flaws and morally learn from them. It
also makes for a noble and tragic death or downfall.